Forum for Science, Industry and Business

Bundesverband Druck und Medien e. V.

The German Printing and Media Industries Federation

Bundesverband Druck und Medien is the employer and trade federation of the german printing and media industries. Its members are 12 regional associations. They offer services directly to the member companies. Members are all kind of printing companies (offset, gravure, letterpress, screenprinting etc.), prepress- and premedia companies, flexography (stamps, engravers) and print finishing/bookbinding enterprises.

The German Printing and Media Industries Federation as the “Association of the Associations” deals with the general concerns of the printing industry as a whole, which means industry and craft. Its most important function as employers association includes the negotiation and interpretation of collective agreements (wages etc.).

As a trade association, the German Printing and Media Industries Federation represents the interests of printing companies. It formulates the aims, ideas and demands of the German printing and media industries. It collects and selects differing opinions and sets an agenda for the entire organization.

The printing and media industries is a small sector of industry. 95 % of the companies have less than 100 employees. Mostly the owners manage their companies; there are only a few large companies with employed management.

The printing industry belongs to the small branches. It earns only 2.3 % of the gross production value and employs 2.8 % of the labour force of the manufacturing industry. The importance of the printing and media industries for economy and society however is much bigger than these figures can express. The distribution of information is not only one of the most important cultural tasks of a free society, it is also a guarantee for its stability. The printed media newspaper, magazine, and book are information carriers in political, social and individual life. The printing and media industries are a very important part of information technology.

The communication sector as a whole is subject to change. Electronic publishing, multi media, digital data transfer create new rules on the media markets. The printing industry more and more sees itself as media service and information processor, i.e. as one of the forerunners of the “multi media inc.”. It not only works up information in the form of print products but also makes it available on other media – like CD-ROM, databases as well as online services. In the future, classical print products and electronic media will be linked much more than today.